Snowy Plover

Charadrius alexandrinus

The Snowy Plover is the palest of the North American plovers, and also the smallest.  Inland, they usually nest on open salt flats or other similarly barren areas.  On the coastlines, however, they nest on sandy beaches, where their nests are often disturbed by human visitors.  As a consequence, they are considered threatened in many coastal locations.  Their normal summer breeding ground on the interior of the continent only reach northward to Kansas, and they are thus rare visitors to South Dakota.  However, in recent years, very small numbers have been found in South Dakota in summer, with confirmed breeding.

Habitat: Prefers very open habitats with little vegetation, especially dry salt flats and sand beaches.

Diet: Insects make up the majority of the diet for those birds nesting inland.  Those along the coasts feed on crustaceans, mollusks, marine worms, and insects.

Behavior: Feeds in typical plover fashion, running several steps with intermittent pauses, grabbing food items when spotted.   

Breeding: Normal summer breeding grounds were thought to extend only to northern Kansas.  However, in the past few years, there has been confirmed breeding within South Dakota.

Song: Whistling pee-e-eep.

Migration: Summers along the Pacific and Gulf coasts, in and around salt lakes and alkaline flats in the western interior of the U.S., and on the southern plains.  Those on the coasts are mostly permanent residents, but those in the interior move to the coastlines in the winter. 

Similar Species: Piping Plover, Semipalmated Plover

Status: Declining in many areas, and considered threatened in many locations.  Disturbance of their nests on open beaches causes many nests to fail.

Further Information: 1) USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Snowy Plover

2) Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Snowy Plover

3) eNature.com: Snowy Plover

Photo Information: Photo courtesy of Wilf Yusek